87 Donst call me Third Madam (1/2)

She saw Uncle Jiang ran out of the room, with a young girl, about 16 or 17 years old, following behind him. She must be their daughter.

Ye Jiayao's face split into a wide smile. She was beyond ecstatic to see their familiar faces. ”Auntie Jiang, Uncle Jiang, you have no idea how happy I am to see that you're alright!”

Auntie Jiang wiped her tears and said, ”It was all because of you, Third Madam, that I am alive. And thanks to the Heir-Son Lord, we get to live a peaceful life now.”

Xia Chunyu said, ”Let's talk inside the room. It looks like it's going to rain soon.”

”Right, right, come inside. Forgive my manners, I am just so happy to see you. Yue Er, go and make some tea for Third Madam and Heir-Son Lord,” Auntie Jiang said.

The young girl called Yue Er obeyed her cheerfully.

After sitting down, Xia Chunyu said, ”Uncle Jiang and Auntie Jiang just arrived in Jin Ling and I made them settle down here. You don't have to look for motels anymore, Yaoyao, you can just live with Auntie Jiang. You don't have to cover yourself and we can take care of each other. This place is also close to Heavenly Residence.”

”Heir-Son Lord is right, Third Madam. If you live here, we can take care of you very well!” Auntie Jiang seconded with a smile.

What? No! Ye Jiayao didn't want to live here. What's Chunyu trying to do? Hide his mistress in a golden house? Did he really think that she would go along with this? She didn't want to be hidden away or taken care of. She wanted her freedom.

However, with Auntie Jiang's family here, she could not just flat out tell Chunyu hell no. They were a kind family and she didn't want to hurt their feelings.

Before she could figure out an underhanded way to rip him a new one, Xia Chunyu said, ”Your stuff has already been moved here.”

Aunt Jiang said, ”We've already tidied up your room, Third Madam. If you'd like, I can take you there now so you can go see whether it is up to your satisfaction.”

This sneaky bastard. How dare he make choices for me?

”Wait,” Ye Jiayao said as calmly as she could. ”I didn't say that I want to live here.”

Aunt Jiang looked surprised and disappointed.

Xia Chunyu expected this. After all, ever since he met her, Yaoyao has been nothing but stubborn.

Xia Chunyu took a sip of his tea and carefully said, ”You're free to choose where you want live. You can stay here or not, no one will force you. But, let me just say that I think it is better for you to live here. It will be easier for you to practice and experiment with your dishes because you will have your own kitchen as well as helpers. Manager Du is kind, but there are so many kinds of people that live in a motel, it can be hard to get along with everyone.”

Ye Jiayao hesitated. Annoyingly, he has a point. That doesn't mean she wasn't uncomfortable with this whole idea, though.

”This house is not mine,” Xia Chunyu added. ”It is a reward from the empire. It was Auntie Jiang's idea to make you stay here. I think this will be good for you, so I brought you here to look around.”

Xia Chunyu hoped that Auntie Jiang was quick to think on her feet, otherwise, he'd be in deeper trouble than he already is if Yaoyao finds out that he's lying.

Fortunately, Auntie Jiang understood him. She suggested, ”Third Madam, the Heir-Son Lord is right. I felt bad when I found out that you were living by yourself in a motel. How can I let someone who saved my life live in a motel when there is more than enough room for you here? If you stay here, we could at least have a friend nearby! My Yue Er even asked me if you could teach her how to cook!”

”Third Madam, just live here! Treat it as your own home! We know that it is too simple and a bit shabby for you, but at least we could serve you here,” Uncle Jiang said.

Ye Jiayao looked torn. If she refused them after what they said, she'd come across as rude and snobby.

Knowing that at least half of the battle was won, Xia Chunyu got up. ”I have some work to do. You guys can keep discussing this among yourselves.”

No, I can't stay here! No matter how they phrased it, this is still a handout and I am NOT taking a handout. Ye Jiayao prepared to follow after Chunyu but she was dragged away by Auntie Jiang.

”Third Madam, you have to check out the room. It took Yue Er a while to decorate it,” Auntie Jiang urged.

”Sorry, Auntie Jiang, I also have things to do. I will check it out some other day…”

”You're already here, why not now? Come on. Yue Er, show the way.”

Xia Chunyu left the yard, Uncle Jiang escorting him. He told the older man, ”You must make her stay here.”

”My wife is here to do that. She'll definitely make her stay,” Uncle Jiang said laughingly.

Xia Chunyu smiled, pleased. ”If there is a problem, get Jiang Li to deliver a message to me.”

Ye Jiayao couldn't resist Auntie Jiang's enthusiasm so she decided to stay for a bit. Plus, if she refused their generous offer, it would seem as though she was looking down at them.

The house had three divisions. Jiang Li stayed in the first one, Uncle Jiang and Auntie Jiang stayed in the second, and Jiang Yue and Ye Jiayao lived in the third one. Inside the yard, there was a small kitchen that was well-stocked and contained well-prepared pieces of equipment.

She doubted what Xia Chunyu had said. How could the empire be so generous and reward some citizens who helped destroy bandits such a huge house in a good area? She was sure that this was all Chunyu's doing.

However, despite her misgivings, this house was perfect. She needed a place to test out the ice cream recipe and this house would provide her with a much-needed privacy. This place would also serve her well for the special dishes she would make in the future.

The more she thought about it, the more she warmed up to the idea of living here.